Analysis Of Scholarly

Researches
For Form And Style

Mayes F. Shaker
Analysis of scholarly researches for Form:

Characteristics of academic writing include a formal tone, use of the third-

person rather than first-person perspective (usually), a clear focus on the
research problem under investigation, and precise word choice. academic writing
is designed to convey agreed meaning about complex ideas or concepts for a
group of scholarly experts.

When you start writing you should have a clear idea of what you want to say.
Create a list of your main points and think about what the reader needs to know
and in what order they will need to know it. To select the main points you want
to include, ask yourself whether each point you have considered really
contributes to answering the question. Is the point relevant to your overall
argument?

The introduction outlines the main direction the writing will take, and gives any
necessary background information and context.

In the main body each point is presented, explored and developed. These points
must be set out in a logical order, to make it easier for the reader to follow and
understand.

The conclusion brings together the main points, and will highlight the key
message or argument you want the reader to take away. It may also identify
any gaps or weaknesses in the arguments or ideas presented, and recommend
further research or investigation where appropriate.

Most writing will require several drafts and revisions in order to improve the
clarity and structure. It is rare that a writer will make the very best decisions in
the first draft.

Analysis of scholarly researches for Style :

Academic writing refers to a style of expression that researchers use to define

the intellectual boundaries of their disciplines and their specific areas of
expertise.

Once you have a plan for your writing, you can use this plan to create the
structure of your writing. Structured writing has a beginning, middle and an end,
and uses focused paragraphs to develop the argument.

After you have a preliminary thesis statement (the answer to your research
question), you can make a basic outline. You may be able to do this before
doing any research, or you may need to read more about the topic first. You
should, however, have a basic outline before you finish researching in order to
ensure that your paper is focused on YOUR thoughts, not just your sources’. A
basic outline is your first attempt to organize the ideas of your paper. It will help
you focus your research and consider the order of your ideas. To make one:
Choosing and ordering points

1. Write your question and answer (preliminary thesis statement). Don’t worry
about writing a beautiful, memorable, strong thesis statement yet; just a simple
answer to your question is enough to start the basic outline.

2. Write down all the reasons/arguments/effects/solutions (each type of paper

is different) you have to answer your question and support your thesis. Do not
look at your sources – use your own brain.

3. Look at your list and organize the ideas. Some may be combined as one
larger idea; some may just repeat others in different words. You may decide to
delete some too.

4. The remaining ideas will be the main points of your paper. These ideas are
the sections of your paper.

5. Decide how to order these points. What order will you follow – chronological,
cause 8 to effect, problem to solution, most important to least important,
weakest to strongest? Which order will make your paper the strongest and most
interesting?

6. Your paper should also cover alternative or opposing viewpoints to show that
you have done complete research and considered all ideas. In this “con section,”
you will present and refute (argue against) other views of your topic.

Breaking sections into smaller parts

7. Those are very basic outlines. It is possible to add more to them, especially
after a little research. For each section, think of how much support you have. If
you have a lot of supporting details (facts, examples, expert opinions) and
explanations, then you will need more than one paragraph for that section.
Some sections, especially your strongest, need more than one paragraph, while
others may have only one.

8. Divide your sections into smaller points. Write the idea of each possible
paragraph as a sentence so you can see how/whether it still answers the
research question.

Problems to Avoid
In addition to understanding the use of specialized language, there are
other aspects of academic writing in the social sciences that you should be
aware of. These problems include:

 Personal nouns. Excessive use of personal nouns [e.g., I, me, you, us]
may lead the reader to believe the study was overly subjective. These words
can be interpreted as being used only to avoid presenting empirical evidence
about the research problem. Limit the use of personal nouns to descriptions
of things you actually did [e.g., "I interviewed ten teachers about classroom
management techniques..."]. Note that personal nouns are generally found
in the discussion section of a paper because this is where you as the
author/researcher interpret and describe your work.
 Directives. Avoid directives that demand the reader to "do this" or "do
that." Directives should be framed as evidence-based recommendations or
goals leading to specific outcomes.
 Informal, conversational tone using slang and idioms. Academic
writing relies on excellent grammar and precise word structure. Your
narrative should not include regional dialects or slang terms because they
can be open to interpretation; be direct and concise using standard English.
 Wordiness. Focus on being concise, straightforward, and developing a
narrative that does not have confusing language. By doing so, you help
eliminate the possibility of the reader misinterpreting the design and purpose
of your study.
 Vague expressions (e.g., "they," "we," "people," "the company,"
"that area," etc.). Being concise in your writing also includes avoiding
vague references to persons, places, or things. While proofreading your
paper, be sure to look for and edit any vague or imprecise statements that
lack context or specificity.
 Numbered lists and bulleted items. The use of bulleted items or lists
should be used only if the narrative dictates a need for clarity. For example,
it is fine to state, "The four main problems with hedge funds are:" and then
list them as 1, 2, 3, 4. However, in academic writing, this must then be
followed by detailed explanation and analysis of each item. Given this, the
question you should ask yourself while proofreading is: why begin with a list
in the first place rather than just starting with systematic analysis of each
item arranged in separate paragraphs? Also, be careful using numbers
because they can imply a ranked order of priority or importance. If none
exists, use bullets and avoid checkmarks or other symbols.
 Descriptive writing. Describing a research problem is an important means
of contextualizing a study. In fact, some description or background
information may be needed because you can not assume the reader knows
everything about the topic. However, the content of your paper should focus
on methodology, the analysis and interpretation of findings, and their
implications as they apply to the research problem rather than background
information and descriptions of tangential issues.
 Personal experience. Drawing upon personal experience [e.g., traveling
abroad; caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease] can be an effective
way of introducing the research problem or engaging your readers in
understanding its significance. Use personal experience only as an example,
though, because academic writing relies on evidence-based research. To do
otherwise is simply story-telling.